PNM’s Legacy: Crime, Chaos and Broken Economy

Letter to the Editor

PNM Can’t Run From the Mess They Made

The People’s National Movement (PNM) governed Trinidad and Tobago for the last nine and a half years. Today, former PNM ministers are suddenly resurfacing to claim credit for every positive achievement the new Government has made in just four short months.

We saw Stuart Young boasting that the ExxonMobil Production Sharing Contract (PSC), finalized this month, was actually the work of the PNM, while openly admitting they deliberately refused to close the deal before the election. Randal Mitchell, too, is claiming credit for Caribbean Airlines’ new codeshare agreement. And recently, Symon de Nobriga has been quick to say the PNM deserves praise for recent WASA upgrades that improved water supply for over 300,000 residents in North-East Trinidad.

So, when good news comes, the PNM rushes to the front of the line to pat themselves on the back. But when it comes to the bad news, they vanish. Colm Imbert, who held the Finance portfolio for nearly a decade, is now shouting that the country is “broke” and that “the banks won’t lend them money.” If that is true, should he not be the first to accept responsibility for running the economy into the ground?

Even Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles has questioned the Government’s crime plan during the State of Emergency debate. Yet she must surely recall that crime spiraled out of control under the PNM, with plummeting detection and conviction rates year after year.

The truth is plain: the PNM wants the credit but none of the accountability. But Trinidad and Tobago is not fooled. You cannot pick and choose which parts of your legacy you own.

By contrast, the new Government, just four months in, has already demonstrated courage, foresight, and a willingness to govern. They finalized the ExxonMobil PSC, a deal critical to our future energy security. They launched a national debate on Stand Your Ground legislation to give citizens confidence in protecting themselves and their families. And they are tackling inherited problems head-on, instead of hiding behind excuses.

After nine and a half years, the PNM left this nation with crime, economic instability, and distrust. In less than half a year, the new Government has shown it is prepared to make tough, thoughtful, and forward-looking decisions. For that, they deserve commendation.

Respectfully,

Edison Theodore

Arima